A FIVE-A-SIDE football team has been renamed in memory of a young man who died in a car crash on Christmas Eve.
Ryan Gleeson died when his silver BMW left the A283 Washington Road at Steyning and struck a tree.
Emergency teams were called to the site of the crash at 10.40pm, and 21-year-old Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ryan regularly played for five-a-side outfit TCPFC.
Now, in memory of their friend, his teammates have renamed the side Gleeson FC.
The group, along with Ryan's girlfriend Jade, has also issued a heartfelt tribute to their "happy, funny, selfless and kind" friend.
They said they knew, from the moment he first stepped on to the pitch, he was a "golden" character despite perpetually smelling of Deep Heat, "which he smothered himself in before and after games".
The freshly-named Gleeson FC now plans to hold a fundraising football match dedicated to Ryan, with friends and family members playing in his memory.
The money raised will be used to support his family, as well as finishing Ryan's ongoing works to upgrade his beloved Citroen Saxo.
The tribute from his girlfriend Jade and Gleeson FC read: "He loved his cars especially his Saxo that he named Sally, spending many hours with close friends working to make her perfect to the Ryan high standard as he used to call it.
"Money raised by the match will be used to help finish work on Sally."
The tribute also remembered Ryan for his good humour, saying he was always able to complete his workload at school while also managing to "have a good laugh".
It read: "Once, he went to sit down on a chair and some other kid in the class had taken the bolts out it.
"He fell on his bottom and just looked so confused, but he couldn't stop laughing after he had worked out why he had fallen.
"Many words have been used to sum up Ryan as a person - happy, funny, selfless, kind, always there when you needed him.
"These descriptions show how amazing and loved he was by his friends.
"He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Ryan’s partner and family with funeral arrangements and to raise money to finish his Saxo.
CLICK HERE>>>To visit the GoFundMe page
Sussex Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash in which Ryan lost his life.
Anyone who saw what happened and who has not already spoken to the police, is asked to email collision.appeal@sussex.pnn.police.uk or ring 101, quoting Operation Finchley.
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